How Buster Came To Live With Us

The Buster the Very Shy Dog series was inspired by my real pets and their relationships with one another. Not all of my pets have been book-worthy, but I have had a number of dogs and cats with big personalities.

I already had one dog and four cats when I went across the street to visit the neighbor dog’s litter of puppies. I had no intention of bringing one home. At the bottom of the pile of scrabbling furballs was a small, shy, tailless puppy that took my heart. But how would my other pets treat him? I asked my neighbor if I could take the little puppy home for a minute to see how he would fit in to the household. She had eight puppies to give away and was more than happy to allow it.

I plunked the puppy down in the middle of the livingroom. He seemed relieved to have a break from his siblings climbing all over him. The cats circled him and left, apparently deciding that since he was smaller than they were, he posed no threat. Phoebe sniffed him thoroughly while he watched her with admiring eyes. She strolled back into the kitchen with a glint in her eye. No doubt, she was ready to relish the role of big sister and was already thinking of ways to trick him into doing what she wanted. He had been accepted into the family. I named him Buster, after Buster Keaton, my favorite actor.

Even when he grew up to be bigger than all of them put together, Phoebe and the cats always bossed him around. I think Buster still felt like the tiny puppy he was when he first arrived.